The South Carolina Boeing plant where President Trump gave a speech promising to protect U.S. jobs says it’s laying off workers.
Boeing confirmed to CNNMoney on Thursday that it’s cutting about 200 jobs at its plant in South Carolina. The plant had previously experienced sizable cutbacks in 2013 when Boeing significantly scaled back contract workers.
Speaking at the plant in February, Trump promised a crowd of assembly workers, managers and executives that “jobs is one of the primary reasons I’m standing here today as your President, and I will never, ever disappoint you.”
Boeing said the layoffs at the plant are part of a company-wide plan to cut jobs that it announced in December, citing fierce competition with rival Airbus and a drop in new orders.
The aerospace giant has been reducing staff since early this year, primarily through buyouts and the attrition of executives, managers and engineering staff.
Back in March, Boeing said it will cut jobs at its commercial jet factories in Washington State. A source told CNNMoney at the time that those cuts involved less than 500 positions.
Workers at Boeing’s Washington State factories are mostly unionized, represented by either the International Association of Machinists or the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace.
Employees at the South Carolina plant are not unionized.
Both rounds of job cuts come after Boeing offered buyouts earlier this year. Unions reported that at least 1,800 Boeing employees took those voluntary offers. The buyouts were also offered to some non-union workers — but Boeing would not say how many accepted.
After years of record sales, the pace of orders for Boeing’s twin-aisle jets, including its 777 and 787 Dreamliner, has slowed significantly. Boeing is cutting back production of its current generation of 777 jets, its most profitable model, by nearly 60% from its peak.
Boeing has said it’s adjusting its employment to account for that lost revenue while offering lower prices to airlines, and boosting profit margins for Wall Street.
As of February, Boeing employed about 147,700 people worldwide. About half of its employees work in its commercial aircraft unit.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
